Say My Name
by Cissmoll
Summary: AU. He's the crown prince of Eden, and she's his bodyguard. She knows their relationship is wrong, but she still can't resist him.
1. Chapter 1

Lightning entered the foyer of the Bodhum palace, feeling as awkward as ever. She'd been the crown prince of Eden's bodyguard for almost a year now, but she still hadn't gotten used to interrupting meetings between royalties.

The prince was standing in the middle of the foyer, chatting with three young, crown-wearing women in ornate gowns. The prince himself was wearing an ordinary white suit, and he'd refused to wear his crown as usual. Lightning couldn't help but feel a bit amused by his reluctance towards anything revolving his royal status.

"You're highness?" she said, tapping the prince on the shoulder. "The car is ready."

"Thank you, Ms. Farron," Prince Hope Estheim replied before turning back to the three princesses of Bodhum. "I'm sorry, ladies. We'll have to continue this another time."

He gave each princess a kiss on the cheek before returning to Lightning's side. The princesses giggled loudly, whispering things behind his back. Lightning had to force herself not to glare at them.

"We have an hour until your next meeting," she told the prince as they walked towards the black limousine waiting for them outside the palace. "We could stop for refreshments somewhere if you'd like."

She held up the door to the limo for him and then joined him in the backseat. When she closed the door behind her, Hope had already moved over to the glass partition separating the backseat from the driver's seat. He knocked on the glass to make the chauffeur open the window.

"Could you give us some privacy?" Hope asked the chauffeur. "Just thirty minutes or so."

The chauffeur nodded and immediately left the limo.

Lightning frowned. "You're highness, I'd really prefer if we left at once. Your next meeting is in Palumpolum. Wouldn't it be better if—"

"You're in a bad mood," Hope interrupted, looking at her intently. "Why?"

She crossed her arms. "I'm not in a bad mood."

"Yes, you are. What's going on?"

"I just don't like this outfit, that's all." It wasn't exactly a lie—she really did dislike her outfit. Hope had told her she looked too aggressive in her suit, so he'd ordered her to wear a blazer and a pencil skirt instead. She looked like some kind of secretary and she didn't like it at all.

Hope smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's just that everyone gets more relaxed when you don't look like you're ready to pull out a gun at any moment."

"Those princesses sure looked relaxed alright," she muttered.

"Is that what this is about?" He got up from his seat and sat down next to her. "Are you jealous?"

Lightning felt her cheeks heat up. "Of course not." She avoided his eyes by fixing her gaze on the floor. "You're going to have to marry someday—sooner rather than later, according to your father. I know that. Those princesses are as good as any."

A gloved hand touched her chin and tilted her head back. She looked up and found Hope staring at her, his eyes burning.

"Don't lie to me, Light."

He burrowed his fingers in her hair and kissed her hard on the lips. She gasped in surprise, and he used her moment of distraction to deepen the kiss. A part of her brain knew she should pull away, that what they were doing was wrong, but she still couldn't stop herself from kissing him back.

"I don't care about the princesses," he murmured as he pulled away from her lips to trail kisses down her neck instead. "I don't care about my father's plans. I don't care about the kingdom. I. Don't. Care."

Before she could object, he'd unbuttoned her shirt and begun to kiss his way down to her chest. Using all the mental strength she could gather, she pulled away from him and scrambled backwards until her back was pressed against the door.

"Your highness, we can't do this," she said, blushing furiously. "Not in here. Someone could see us."

Hope moved closer to her again, cornering her against the door. "So?"

"I could lose my job!"

He grinned. "I'd never accept another bodyguard. My father knows that." He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her again, his other hand traveling down her body. "I don't care what anyone says. One day, I'm going to make you my queen, Light."

He unhooked her bra and pushed it out of the way before lavishing her breast with kisses. His teeth grazed her nipple, and something sounding suspiciously like a moan escaped her lips. Her head was spinning, and she felt like her whole body was on fire. He always had that effect on her. No matter how many times she promised herself to never let him kiss her again, her body always ended up betraying her anyway. When he touched her, she seemed to somehow forget that he was the crown prince of Eden and that she was just his bodyguard. Moments like this, she felt like they were equals.

Hope kneeled down in front of her on the limousine floor and grabbed her legs, aligning her hips with the edge of the seat.

"It's really too bad you hate wearing skirts," he murmured, kissing his way up her inner thighs. "Your legs look absolutely amazing in them, and they definitely make it easier for me to do things like this." He pulled up her skirt and pressed a kiss between her thighs.

"H- your highness," she gasped. "Are you seriously thinking . . . in here? What if someone . . . your highness!"

He nipped her thigh hard enough to leave a mark. "Don't call me that. Not when it's just the two of us. Say my name, Light." He slowly removed one of his gloves with his teeth before pulling down her underwear. She blushed as she realized what he was planning to do. Her body shuddered in expectation.

He leaned forward until his face was so close to her to her core that she could feel the warmth of his breath. She entangled her fingers in his silvery hair and tried to pull him closer, but he wouldn't budge.

"Say my name, Light," he repeated. "Say my name."

"Please," she moaned, aching with need. She didn't care about the risk of getting caught anymore. She didn't really care about anything—all she wanted was for him to touch her. "Please, Hope, please."

He gave her a smug grin before running his tongue over her center. Her back arched, and another moan escaped her lips. He pressed a finger inside her as he continued to tease her clit with his tongue. Her hips moved like they had a life of their own, attempting to speed things up, but Hope grabbed her thigh with his free hand and held her down. His tongue and finger moved with perfect synchronization in an almost painfully slow rhythm. When her desperate moans grew louder, he nudged a second finger inside her.

"You're so gorgeous, Light," he said in a husky voice. "I love you. I love the taste of you. You're so gorgeous."

His fingers pushed at her inner walls and he flicked her clit harder and faster with his tongue. She squirmed helplessly against him. No one knew how to work her body like Hope did—not even herself. The sounds she was making were so loud they could without a doubt be heard outside the limo, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't in control of her own voice anymore.

"Hope, oh god, please, Hope," she moaned, her hands tugging at his hair. She glanced down at him and saw him staring up at her with an almost feral look in his eyes, and that look was enough to push her over the edge. She threw her head back and screamed as the orgasm hit her. The waves of pleasure pulsated through her shuddering body. Hope continued to pump his fingers inside her, helping her ride out the storm.

"Feeling better?" he asked smugly when she opened her eyes again. She was still too out of breath to speak so she simply nodded instead.

"Good." He stood up on his knees and leaned his forehead against hers. "I really mean it. I don't care about what other people think, especially not my father. You're mine, and I'm yours. The only person I could ever marry is you."

Lightning smiled and kissed him. She could taste herself on his lips but she didn't mind it. Her body was moving on its own again. She knew how wrong their relationship was, but every time he touched her, she found that she didn't really care. The attraction that pulled them together was simply too strong to ignore. Every time he kissed her, she just _knew._ It didn't matter that he was a crown prince and that she was his bodyguard. They were supposed to be together.

"I'm yours," she said, placing a hand on his chest, "and you're mine." With a gentle push, she made him sit down on the floor. She straddled his lap and began to unbutton his shirt. "How long do we have?"

He glanced at his wristwatch. "Fifteen minutes."

"Perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

"You've been in a bad mood all evening," Lightning said. "What's going on?"

The crown prince of Eden lay beside her on the bed. His eyes were closed, but she could tell by the sound of his breath that he was still awake. She rolled on top of him and straddled his waist.

"Hey. Don't ignore me." She began to trail kisses down his neck, using just the slightest bit of teeth the way she knew he loved. Soon enough, she felt his hands in her hair, urging her on. She immediately pulled back.

"Tell me what's going on, Hope."

He opened his eyes and finally looked at her. The intensity in his eyes made her heart skip a beat.

"What do you think?" he said in a low voice before flipping them over. He looked her in the eye for a moment, and then he gently pressed his lips to the big, round bruise on her chest right above her heart.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?" he continued. "I saw when you took the bullet for me, Light. I saw when it hit you in the chest. I _saw . . ._ " He let out a long, shivering breath. "I thought you were dead. I saw you collapse and I thought you were dead."

She thought back on the evening and the attempt someone had made on Hope's life. It had happened quite a lot lately, but thankfully, all the culprits had been amateurs. She was still a bit angry with herself for letting the culprit even get close enough to point a gun at Hope, but she'd had it all under control. The bullet had been stopped, and the culprit had been arrested.

She cupped his face in her hands and smiled. "I'm okay. I always wear a bulletproof vest. It was just the shock from the impact that made me lose my balance." She gingerly touched the bruise on her chest. "See? I'm fine, Hope. No wound or anything. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" He tangled his hand in her hair and kissed her hard on the lips. "Promise me you'll never do anything like that ever again." His other hand wandered down her body and caressed her inner thigh. "Promise me."

She knew what he was trying to do, but this time, he wouldn't succeed. "You know I can't promise you that."

"Light. Please." His fingers brushed over her core. "Promise me."

She stared up at him with all the mental strength she could muster. "You can't always get what you want, your highness."

His eyes hardened, and she moaned loudly when he slipped two fingers inside her.

"Don't call me that," he said. "Not like this. Not when we're in bed."

"Then don't act like . . . like I'm supposed to obey you," she panted. "If you want to me t-to treat you like a normal boyfriend, you're . . . you're going to have to act like one." She was having a hard time thinking coherent thoughts now. He was dangerously good at what he was doing.

His eyes softened again. "I'm sorry. It was never meant as an order."

He pulled out his fingers, and before she could complain about the sudden loss, he'd already pushed himself inside her. She gasped and her toes curled into the mattress. They both paused for a moment, staring at each other.

"I just want to protect you," he whispered, once again pressing his lips to the bruise on her chest. "Why can't you just let me protect you?"

"Because protecting you is my job. It's my _duty_." She smiled up at him. "I'm your bodyguard, Hope. I would give my life to protect you, and that's how things are supposed to be. There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind."

"Fine," he muttered under his breath. "I hope you know that I'd give my life to protect you too."

Before she could argue with him, he'd already started moving, and she had soon forgotten everything she'd wanted to say.

* * *

The next morning, Lightning put on her blazer and pencil skirt and prepared for another day of work. Hope had a lot of meetings to attend to, and she had to keep him safe the whole time. She had to admit that she was a little bit nervous about Hope being out in the open like this, considering that someone had tried to shoot him the day before. She'd tried to convince him to hire more bodyguards, but he, just as usual, had said that she was the only bodyguard he'd ever accept.

"You have a meeting with your father back in Eden at ten, a conference with the government at one and a ceremony over at Lake Bresha at four," she told him, holding up the door to the limousine. Hope nodded and stepped inside the car. _I hope he doesn't get any weird ideas,_ she thought as she took a seat next to him. She could still clearly remember what happened the last time they were in a limousine together. And the time before that. _Maybe I should make sure we take a car with windows you can actually see through next time._

About twenty minutes later, the limousine came to a stop outside the king's mansion in Eden. Lightning got out of the car first to check the perimeter for threats. When she'd made sure they were alone on the parking lot, she walked back to the limousine and held up the door for the prince.

"I thought you'd be more reluctant to this," she admitted to him. "You always try to get out of these meetings."

He smiled and shrugged. "This time, I actually have something I want to talk to him about. I . . . Watch out!"

Lightning looked around and noticed a sniper on the other side of the wall surrounding the garden. She prepared to move past Hope to cover him, but Hope was faster. He grabbed her shoulders and threw them both down on the ground to take cover behind the limousine. A couple of shots went off, and then there was only silence.

She stared up at him. "What the hell did you just do?"

It was a stupid question, because they both knew exactly what he had done. He'd made sure that she got out of the way first, and then he'd covered her with his body—which happened to be the exact opposite of how that situation was supposed to have been played out.

"What's the meaning of this?" a stern voice suddenly said.

"Hi, dad," Hope said. He got up from the ground and held out his hand to help Lightning up. She took it, but she couldn't even bring herself to look him or the king in the eye. Her cheeks heated up in shame. This was why bodyguards could never fall in love with the person they're supposed to protect. The person they're supposed to protect just might love them back, and because of that, they might do something stupid. _He could have died,_ she realized. _He could have been shot, and it would have been my fault._

"I want that woman out of here immediately," King Bartholomew said. "I'll make sure you get a new bodyguard. This is simply unacceptable. And would someone please chase after that shooter?"

"Just wait!" Hope took a step towards his father, but Lightning stopped him by grabbing his sleeve.

"He's right," she said. "This really is unacceptable. I apologize. I'll resign immediately."

"But you didn't even do anything!" Hope turned back to his father. "I need to speak to you in private about this. Please, Light, just wait right here. I'll make this right."

She watched as the king and the prince entered the mansion. _I should have seen this coming,_ she thought. _I should have known better._ She thought back on her time with the prince. The job itself had been pretty boring, but she'd really loved working with Hope. She'd tried to stop herself from falling in love with him, but it had been impossible. _What's going to happen to us now?_ she wondered. As long as she'd been his bodyguard, no one had found it all that strange that they'd been spending so much time together. If she continued to spend time with him as an ordinary person—an ordinary _woman_ , too—people would definitely talk. _This might be the last time I ever see him,_ she realized, and the thought almost made her cry. No, she wouldn't miss the job all that much, but she would definitely miss him.

The door to the mansion opened. Hope walked down the stairs towards her with a wide grin playing on his lips.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "What on earth did you two talk about?" She lowered her voice. "I'm still fired, right?"

"Yeah, no, you won't be working as my bodyguard anymore," he said, looking surprisingly happy even as he said it. She felt somewhat offended.

"I told my father that I would accept whatever bodyguard he sees fit, but only on one condition."

"Okay?"

"I told him I'd do it if he allowed me to marry you."

She stared at him. "What?"

He smiled and pulled out something from his chest pocket. Then, he went down on one knee.

"What . . . what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" He opened the velvety box, and inside it was, of course, a ring. "I know this is a bit sudden, but . . . will you marry me?"

The ring was gorgeous. She didn't even want to think about how much it might be worth. _Holy shit,_ she thought, finally realizing what the proposal actually meant. _He actually wants me to be his queen._

Hope had always talked about it, but she'd never really considered it as an actual, possible option. _Do I really want that? Do I really want to be queen?_

She glanced at him. He was looking at her expectantly, still smiling widely. His silvery hair was still pointing in every direction from their little tumble on the ground. It looked ridiculous, but she loved it anyway. She loved _him._ Even if she wasn't sure about the whole queen thing, she was definitely sure about him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

She finally returned his smile. "Yes."

* * *

"Hey, did you plan all this?" she asked him later that night. They were once again lying next to each other on the soft silk sheets in Hope's bed.

"What do you mean?" he replied, playing absentmindedly with her hair.

"You were going to talk to your dad about something. Did you set this whole thing up?"

"I was going to talk to him about marrying you, yes." He grinned. "The shooting was just a bonus, though."

She frowned and flicked him on the forehead. "You need to take this more seriously. You could have died!"

"But I didn't. Instead, I'm getting married to the most beautiful woman in the world." He grabbed her hand before she could flick him again, kissing her fingers one by one. "You're going to make a wonderful queen."

"Maybe." She smiled and rolled on top of him to give him a kiss. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

She knew she was going to have to suffer through a lot to get married to him, but it didn't matter. As long as she got to spend the rest of her life with him, she could suffer through anything. Even becoming a queen.


End file.
